I thank you all for focusing my attention on this concept.

As a 'gestalt' type of thinker - I tend to do lots of stack browsing and other wide ranging research. I will often apparently flippantly pop something off the top of my head, and it is not until challenged on why or how I reach that conclusion that I start the unravelling process. I find that sometimes I am bigoted, which gives me a chance to rethink basic assumptions, and sometime I find that the evidence I have come across only supports my conclusion.

I will probably be focused on following that train of thought (about other countries other that just the USA as well) for some time now - since my US 'associates' here find that too sensitive to discuss openly and rationally, I won't bore you with the process.

However, I do find the concept of "you cannot dissociate my ideas from my person, so if you discuss or attack my ideas, you discuss or attack me personally" at serious odds with my cultural, religious and social upbringing, and very disturbing for human progress.

"Responding to the numerous bits of misinformation re: WWII, Hitler, nuclear weapons, etc"

Ignorance is bliss - it is not My Nation where large percentages of people don't even know where other countires in the world are.

As far as our 'chocos' turning back the Japanese, it was the first land reversal. As far as the bigger picture, we were seriously screwed navally, British forces being non-existant, and our forces pissing around on the other side of the globe (we were BS'ed into helping the Mother Country - and Churchill turned around our military overriding our orders!) without the serious effort and scrifices by the US Navy (and it was a damn close thing) the outcome would have been very different if the Jap navy had made it to Port Moresby. Don't think I'm not grateful - I'm just a bit pissed with the constant "USA alone saved the world" Religion. It was a Team blood effort by the whole world.

If my "type of apology" is unsatisifactory to some, that's life - I don't tell sweet lies just to crawl to people to make them feel better. If that loses me some casual 'friends', or other benefits - that's life - after the times of serious viciouos personal attacks and nastiness I have got thru, I prefer it that way nowadays. We all know where we stand that way.

Robin